THIS IS LATE I'M SORRY (ch211)

I mentioned in the chapter itself so I suppose I don't need to reiterate it here

But I will.

OH BUT FIRST!! I wanted to say that the petition for the US government to recognize nonbinary genders that I've been bringing up recently reached it's goal!! Thanks to everyone who signed it and spread the word!

Anyway

I was going to have this chapter up on Wednesday, but I got busy with something or other--oh yeah, I beat Portal 2. That's what happened.
So it didn't go up Wednesday.
And I REALLY REALLY anticipated getting it up on Thurdsay--yesterday--but literally all productivity got thrown out of the window because I sat down to play Chain of Memories.

I was on Floor 12

here's a link to the "rar plays com" tag which?? I think maybe you should just look at in general
Like I'm only saying it because it's Chain Of Memories and it's a nice look back at the origins of this fic and the characters and amidst all the cutscene analyses I end up talking a lot about Riku--about Repliku--and just in general about the characters
I talked a lot about Vexen, too

It's been a nice look back at the origins of these characters for me, and I think it could be a nice refresher for fans of the FtPseries, too

Regardless

I definitely want you to read this cutscene analysis in particular which is a breakdown of the cutscene "Larxene's Sneer" aka the part where Repliku's,,, shattered
I'm really happy with it
Like there's no specific part of it that's relevant to the fic, per se, but

(also please look at this post thanks)

ANYWAY MOVING ON

Miss Determination from rarmaster on 8tracks Radio.

I'm?? assuming you can see the mix. Google will often tell me "this is an unsafe script" when I do this but this time it won't let me override...... playlists tend to show up just fine the rest of the time, though

But I finally made a Namine mix!! yayyyyyyyy

Chapter!

read it

tumblr tag

I intended there to be a break here with a separate set of characters but we’re so close to end game there aren’t any scenes left like I could’ve maybe done namiku fluff but

Meh

I didn't see the point

The This is War album (by 30 Seconds to Mars) made real great writing music for this chapter and I’m not sure if it’s because it was all I was in the mood for at the time or if it’s fitting for like. The setting or something

I wasn’t too sure about including the Mickey and Yen Sid conversation but then I figured to hell with it

Also one chapter breathing room before the Maleficent battle seemed like a really good idea

Please note that yes I do have plans for this plot line Mickey and Yen Sid have just brought up BUT it won’t be finished until book 6, which I’m not even sure I’ll write, so don’t count on it being resolved soon or at all

I wanted the scene here because it goes here and it’s a nice conversation also it leaves things open should I write book 6

Book 6, however, is so far away from now that you can’t count on me writing it. Especially considering plot wise this is the only loose end that gets left untied after book 5.

Like I wanna write book 6 because it’s such an interesting thing to explore!! But I have three other things to write (not including original stuff) and they may take me another three years (or more) and idk if I’ll still be interested in it come then. I doubt any readers will still be interested in it come then.

(Do note, however, that reader desire will not override my own desire for writing book 6. If I don't want to write it, I'm not going to, regardless of how many readers are clamoring for it. )

The thing is Yen Sid can see into the future but he can’t exactly see into the past so locating Donald and Goofy exactly isn’t easy not to mention he probably doesn’t think to check Hollow Bastion and there hasn’t been any actual time traveling going on in Disney Castle. Probably.

And, just to get it out, Donald and Goofy are definitely in Timeless River right now. I'm fairly positive they found Pete's door when they went to Hollow Bastion and just went through that one to get there

I really didn't want to do the Timeless River plot arc, but it occurred to me that even between Maleficent and Hades they wouldn't be able to weaken the Cornerstone without it. That doesn't make Hades' help irrelevant, however. Note that in KH canon, despite all Maleficent had done to weaken the Cornerstone, she still couldn't physically set foot in Disney Castle.

So Hades still did need to contribute.

And I really!! don't think Timeless River needed Sora to go! I think Donald and Goofy could've handled it just fine on their own. The only thing they can't to is lock the doors, but they just need to go get Mickey for that, once they've stopped Pete.

Granted, looking back on it, I sort of regret not sending Sora with Donald and Goofy. Writing for the three of them--especially considering Sora hardly knows Donald and Goofy here--would've actually been a lot of fun. 

Too late now.

Mickey’s tail definitely twitches as he paces let me tell you

It’s not that Mickey doesn’t trust Donald and Goofy to take care of things it’s that he’s worried about them. hHe’s not sure if they’re okay or what they’re doing because he only told them to head Maleficent off nothing more and the fact that they haven’t returned is worrisome. (It's been a few days.)

But Yen Sid tells him that they’re okay and he’s like “well okay then they’ve obviously got this handled and they’ll tell me all about it when they get back. Great.”

Initially Mickey said Sheto but I decided nah on that bit

Yen Sid was initially coming off with a more Eraqus-type vibe—more friendly and that’s actually. Not him.

Mickey’s flinching because that is a very accurate representation of him (cough Epic Mickey cough cough)

Mickey’s not afraid of much but he greatly respects Yen Sid and does get a little frightened if Yen Sid ever does the big booming voice and towering over him because that’s hella scary also if Yen Sid’s doing that that means Mickey’s messed up bad and he realizes that so he feels bad

So I mean it’s not exactly fear but y’know

You have to understand I’m still 100% with canon here Mickey admits in R/R that he used to think darkness was something the worlds were better off without but time with Riku changed his mind

There was no Riku in my universe to change Mickey’s mind

Sora’s gotta do it

Did I mention Daisy’s actually really good at magic because she is

I feel a little bad for leaving Daisy out besides the beginning and end but tbh the convo with Shad was an afterthought and incorporating her a little more when all this is going on in Sora’s head well???

?????

Idk she’s not the kind of person to be generally quiet during battle she’s Daisy she talks so much even when no one’s listening but idk man

AND THEN THIS IS A RANT I'VE HAD SAVED FOR A WHILE I'm fairly certain I never actually posted it. I might have, though. I know a couple of times I went to but then thought "nah I'll wait til I upload the chapter it comes up in" aka this chapter

And I suppose one of those times I may not have gone "nah" and actually posted it but?? I don't think I did

Anyway

Mickey is literally thrown off by Sora because now that he's actually interacting with Sora (instead of fighting one short battle and having a short conversation after like they did in Beast's Castle like ch98 or so)

Now he's interacting with Sora he realizes how unhero like Sora actually is how little he's lived up to the "prophecy" or whatever.

Because canon!Sora is like.... he literally hits you in the face with his optimism and light but my Sora

nope. nada. He's. If there's anything that hits you in the face about him it's how tired he is how broken he looks and then if you can sense light/darkness you will sense that he's actually a little darker than your average person

and it throws Mickey for a loop because it's not what he expected. He's not the kind of person to go "oh well you're not good enough" but I still can see him being a little "?????" about things especially when he's been promised something different than he gets

and I wrote Mickey and Yen Sid talking and Mickey's like "BUT HE. CAN'T. BE." because Sora is like the polar opposite of what was prophesized or whatever (I'm not 100% on the terminology I use I want to use Prince but I also don't y'know?)

and Yen Sid's like "why because he's struggled with the darkness? Mickey you should know better than that"

but I think Yen Sid's actually missing a piece of the puzzle. It's one thing to be told "hey yeah so-and-so's been struggling with the darkness and I'm worried" and another entirely to interact with said so-and-so and seeing for yourself how much the darkness has scarred them

Because it's not just that Sora's been scarred by darkness he also completely lacks the sense of friendship that canon!Sora acquires because he doesn't go and make friends with every person he meets he hasn't had a chance and lately no one will give him one

guh

and I'm not sure how it's going to play out because Kingdom Hearts itself has dropped the "open the door" plotline in favor of Xehanort and I guess that's not a problem but there's also no telling how it's going to be solved in KH3 because KH3 is only guaranteed to be Xehanort's death it's not guaranteed to be anything else

and like the "ending" of KH where they all find Kingdom Hearts and Sora actually becomes King or Prince (with Kairi as Queen/Princess) is literally one of my favorite fanons but I'm not sure how that's going to happen within my universe

I mean it doesn't have to happen because it's a fanon but like

Every projected ending of KH involves Sora doing some crazy important stuff which I'm sure requires his pure heart and compassion for others

and guess what my Sora doesn't have?

I'M SORRY THIS WHOLE LORE THING MAKES ME REALLY EMOTIONAL

(hence why I want to write book 6........ and if I didn't know it would take me at least three years to get to it, I would say wholeheartedly that I'd write it. But it is going to take three years. Unfortunately)